


Lights in the Distance

by perpetual_wallflower



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 09:12:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2576084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetual_wallflower/pseuds/perpetual_wallflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tangled AU. Kurt has been stuck in his Aunt Sue's tower for as long as he can remember. She says it's for his protection, but he still longs to see the lights that he sees in the sky every year up close. His opportunity arises when a stranger climbs in through his tower window and offers to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lights in the Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely betas kissoffools and ashley_renae for all your help. <3

Prologue:

This story begins with a flower. Lady Sue had lived centuries feeding off the power of a magical golden flower in the forest just outside the walls of the Hummel Palace. She had been using it to derive power and keep her eternally young. Lady Sue would have kept using its power and magic as long as she could except that the Queen had fallen deathly ill and the flower would soon be no more.

Queen Elizabeth Hummel had been nearing the end of her pregnancy, the Hummel kingdom’s first royal baby in over thirty years, and had been getting weaker by the day. The royal family’s personal doctor’s had sent some palace guards to find and collect the magical flower so that they could use it to cure the Queen’s illness. The magic of the golden flower had been very powerful and had worked quickly. The Queen had gotten back her full health in a matter of minutes.

Barely a week later, Queen Hummel had given birth to the kingdom’s new prince. Prince Kurt had golden hair much unlike his mother and father who both had darker hair. A few weeks after Prince Kurt had been born, Elizabeth had been rocking him to sleep and had begun humming to help soothe him. As she had continued humming, his hair had begun to glow. She had felt the magic swirling around her and had felt invigorated despite the exhaustion of new motherhood that she had still felt moments before. The magic of the golden flower that had cured her weeks before had been passed on to her son. He had been even more special than she ever could have imagined.

What the Queen hadn’t known was that as the magic had flowed through Kurt, someone had been lurking in the shadows, watching. Lady Sue had seen the whole thing from a ledge outside the window. Once Elizabeth had retired for the night, leaving her sleeping prince alone, Lady Sue had made her move. She had sung the incantation she had always sung when she’d needed the flower and watched Prince Kurt’s hair glow brightly. Sue had quickly sliced off a lock of his hair to take with her so she could use its power for her youth, but the hair had turned brown and lifeless in a near instant. The magic had been lost. Lady Sue had known then that just using the hair was not enough. She would need to keep the Prince close. Lady Sue had wrapped him in another blanket and had carefully climbed back out of the window and made her escape.

Deep in the forest, far away from the palace, Lady Sue had locked away the young Prince in a tower high above the ground. She had found a way to keep the powerful magic all to herself and stay young forever. In the morning, devastation had rocked the kingdom when word had gotten out that their young prince was missing.

And so the story of his return begins...

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Kurt wakes up to the sound of Pavarotti chirping brightly in his cage. After laying back against the pillows in bed for a few moments longer, he throws open the curtains around his bed to let in the light. He lives at the top of a tower deep in the forest and among the mountains. He has a gorgeous view from the many small windows around the large open room. At night he even has a great beautiful view of the stars from a couple skylights. Originally the tower had had only one small window, but over the years and through much negotiating, he’d gotten Lady Sue to allow him to make some adjustments to let in more light.

Lady Sue was his aunt; she had taken him in as a baby after his parents had been killed by ruffian thieves. His parents had been trying to move to a better village so they could raise him. Lucky for Kurt, Lady Sue had been only hours behind his parents on their journey so she found him swaddled and crying inside their carriage and had taken him for her own. She had told him that this was why she had moved them to such a secluded place. Because of what happened to his parents, she didn’t want him raised near any villages where something like that could happen again. Lady Sue could be strict about some things, namely about Kurt never leaving the tower, but she often let him have many of the things that he desired as long as they weren’t to much of a hassle to come by. Never leaving the tower had made sense because of what had happened to his parents. His aunt was worried and it wasn’t so bad. Sometimes Kurt was a little lonely but he had a lot of hobbies to keep him busy. He also had a wonderful pet canary, Pavarotti, to keep him company while his aunt was away gathering food and supplies or selling some of the wares he had created for extra money. Lady Sue was also very strict about Kurt’s hair. He was never allowed to cut it, even trimming the ends wasn’t allowed. It would be strange for a boy his age to keep his hair this long, but Kurt was special. His hair was special. Lady Sue used to tell him stories about his magical hair when he was little. She’d tell him stories and then she’d have Kurt sing a song that would make his hair glow. It didn’t just glow; it could heal you when you’re sick or injured. It could even make wrinkles disappear. Lady Sue was much older than she looked. She had been his father’s eldest sister so she was nearly twenty years older than he was, but she didn’t like to talk about that. Lady Sue still looked quite youthful, and Kurt, he had flawless skin. Every night before bed, whether or not his aunt was home, he’d brush out his long hair and sing the incantation song to keep his skin looking flawless. Every morning he had to manage it. He didn’t like to keep his hair down most of the time so he usually kept it twisted and braided and woven together into a long scarf-like plait of hair. After he braided it, he’d use different techniques and wrap and drape it around his shoulders and neck. It made a wonderful accessory when he kept it that way even though the ends still hung long. It worked.

The day was early but his aunt often left before dawn especially on days when she needed to get supplies from the nearest village, which was half a day’s journey away. She wouldn’t return until well after dark. Kurt was hoping she would pick up something special. His eighteenth birthday was in two days and he was hoping to convince his aunt to take him to see the lights that appeared every year on his birthday. They were off in the distance but only a few days’ journey. They could make it if they left tomorrow. Kurt needed to prepare. He would clean the tower even better than usual instead of cleaning through the morning and stopping mid-afternoon to work on his sewing machine or his loom. Then tonight he’d cook something great so that maybe it would help Lady Sue be more open to his request. First, he needed to get dressed, make something for breakfast and braid and wrap his hair for the day. If he was going to be doing a lot of cleaning, he’d definitely need it out of the way. Early in the evening, long before Kurt was expecting, the bell outside the window started to ring signifying that Lady Sue had returned with supplies.

“Good evening, Kurt, I've returned.” Lady Sue called up from the bottom of the tower. “Let down your hair, my sweet Porcelain.”

Kurt had been in the middle of finishing dinner. He took the skillet off the fire so it didn’t burn and began unwrapping the makeshift scarf of hair around his neck to help his aunt back into the tower. She always needed his help getting back into the tower, but leaving was much easier because they’d attached a system of ropes for repelling down the side. It made it much easier for Lady Sue to leave early on her travels without waking up Kurt. It also added security to the tower. No one could get in without someone letting down the ropes or Kurt’s hair, but if necessary they could leave.

“I wasn’t expecting you for a few more hours. Dinner isn’t ready yet, Aunt Sue.” Kurt said as he finished pulling her through the window.

“Porcelain, I‘m back the same time I usually am on this day of the week. I don’t know why you’d think it’d be longer.” She said as she crouched to unwrap the bundle of supplies she’d collected. From the looks of it, it was only food she’d gathered in the forest and a few things that were available at a small inn several hours away. The inn would get a few things for them on their own trips into the larger village twice a month and hold them for Lady Sue. She traded them a few of Kurt’s creations for their troubles.   So Lady Sue hadn’t gotten anything special for his birthday yet. Maybe this would make it easier to ask about the lights. After dinner.

“How was your day? Did you get anything special? Maybe something for a special day that’s coming up?” Kurt asked trying to sound coy.

“You mean for your birthday? No. I was thinking I could get you some more of that patterned silk you liked so much a few years ago, but I won’t be able to trade for it for another few weeks.” Lady Sue said much to Kurt’s disappointment. The silk was great but that was more about how much they could make off of the clothes he created with it than him. Maybe now was the time to ask.

“Aunt Sue, I was wondering if maybe we could do something else. If we started tomorrow we could make it work.”

His aunt inhaled sharply, already reluctant to whatever Kurt was going to ask her. “What is it, Kurt?”

“Can we go see the lights this year? I’m going to be eighteen. That’s a big deal. Please, I’ve been dreaming of seeing them since I can remember. If we leave tomorrow, we should be able to make the trip before the night of my birthday. You know they occur every year on that night. Please, Aunt Sue?” Kurt pleaded with her. It really was everything he wanted. He would be happy to go years without any other presents if he could just go see the lights once.

While a few minutes ago, Lady Sue had been in a pleasant mood, almost smiling even, now, her mood had soured drastically. “No, definitely not. Kurt, you will not leave this tower and that’s final, especially not for some silly lights above some village with who knows what kind of people living there. You could be killed or worse; they could kidnap you because of your hair. You know how valuable that is.”

Kurt hadn’t seen her this angry about something in years. The last time had been when he’d asked to go the village with her for supplies. He knew she was worried because of what had happened to his parents but he was older now. He was pretty sure that he could take care of himself now. Maybe he’d broach the subject again in the morning after she’d had a chance to rest and eat. The evening went by filled with tension and his aunt retired to her room upstairs soon after dinner leaving Kurt alone.

Pavarotti chirped happily in his cage and pecked at the door to be let out. Kurt smiled. Pavarotti could tell he was in need of cheering up. When Kurt let him out, the bird immediately perched on his shoulder nestling into the folds of the scarf and cooing softly.

“Thanks Pav.” He said, petting the top of his head.

Kurt carefully put away all the remnants of their dinner and restocked the fire for the evening. “What do you say we turn in early? You could stay out of your cage for the night if you want, Pav. We’ll make a little nest for you on the bed.”

Kurt was tired and he didn’t want to deal with brushing out his hair tonight. He’d just make sure that tomorrow he’d take extra time so he left it wrapped up. He stripped down and changed into his bedclothes and extinguished the few lanterns, leaving only the firelight, before climbing into his bed and closing the curtains.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Kurt woke up abruptly to the sound of horses and men yelling somewhere off in the distance, but not really all that far away. Once he realized they weren’t really near; he got up and dressed quickly for the day. Pavarotti even helped him tighten the strings on the corset he’d chosen for the day. It always looked great over his slightly billowy-sleeved shirt and paired with his trousers and boots. Once he’d finished lacing his boots, he adjusted the scarf around his neck and shoulders and retied a few knots. He smoothed out the hair on his head to make it look presentable again, and then went off to start breakfast.

“Aunt Sue, I’m making breakfast. Any requests?” Kurt called out in the direction of her room. He got no answer. That’s when he found the note beneath the candle on the table   where they usually ate.

_Sweet Porcelain,_

_I apologize for being so harsh with you about your birthday wishes. I just cannot allow you to leave the tower when it is so dangerous, especially on a trip to an unknown village. I’ve decided to go to the artisan market along the south bank to get you a present to make up for it. When I was there once before many years ago, they had some beautiful fabrics and other supplies I know you would love. I’ve taken a few things to trade and some money I had saved up. The journey will be long so I may not get back until late into the evening on your birthday. I’ll also try to purchase a pheasant at the market that we can roast for dinner that night. Stay safe and watch out for anyone approaching the tower until I return._

_Your beloved aunt,_

_Lady Sue_

It was nice that she was doing something for his birthday after all even if he was disappointed about the lights. Maybe next year he could try again. Pavarotti flew in to perch on his shoulder for a moment, chirping excitedly, before flying out the window. Kurt followed to see what had Pav so excited.

“Pav, what’s wrong?” Kurt asked, reaching over to the ledge outside the window where Pavarotti was perched.

Pav looked over at him and chirped again and then looked away and chirped again. That’s when Kurt saw him. There was a man on the edge of the meadow. The man stayed to the shadows mostly until he was closer to the stream. Then he took out a canteen and filled it before taking large handfuls of water directly from the stream to drink. The man looked disheveled liked he’d been running from something. Kurt could hear commotion again off through the trees somewhere in the forest so his automatic reaction was to duck back inside, but when he did he knocked a few loose stones out of place and they fell down the side of the tower, knocking against the side a few times as they did. The man noticed immediately and looked up towards the top of the tower. Kurt had already been out of sight when the stones had fallen so he didn’t think the man had seen him.

This was exactly what his aunt had warned him about. There was a strange man, possibly a thief just outside of his tower and Kurt was alone. What was he going to do? Should he hide or figure out a trap, maybe both. Kurt was very glad that he had some weapons training right now. It had become one of his hobbies over the years. He was really good at throwing daggers and the quarterstaff. He’d never gotten to do much in the way of swordplay, though, since his aunt wouldn’t allow him a sword. It took her a long time to allow him to get a set of daggers. Mostly she didn’t want Kurt playing with long blades in the off chance that he’d accidentally slice off some of his hair.

Kurt took a deep breath. Maybe the man was gone. Maybe he didn’t pay much attention to the falling stones. Kurt looked back outside the window to where the man had been before. He was gone. Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard it. He heard the grunting of the man climbing the side of the tower and the scraping of his boots on the rocks. Kurt wanted to get a better look to see how far down he was but couldn’t risk the man seeing him again. He gathered up his daggers and his quarterstaff and hid behind the curtains on the opposite wall from the window the man was climbing beneath.

A few minutes later the man reached the top and started climbing through the window before collapsing on the floor, chest heaving as he caught his breath. Kurt hadn’t thought this through. He was too far away. He’d have to confront the man instead of taking him by surprise. Kurt looked at Pavarotti on his shoulder.

“Distract him, Pav,” he whispered, hoping the man wouldn’t hear him.

Pavarotti hopped from Kurt’s shoulder to a ledge on the wall and walked out from behind the curtain before flying up towards the rafters and starting to chatter. Luckily, it worked and the man drew his attention toward Pavarotti. It gave Kurt enough time to attack quickly and whack the man on the head with his quarterstaff and knock him unconscious.

Once the man was unconscious, Kurt made quick work to tie him up. He’d considered using his hair but he had enough leftover rope and fabric to secure him to a chair. The man wasn’t nearly as old as he’d looked from a distance. He was around Kurt’s age. His hair was slicked back, but Kurt could tell it was curly because some of the curls had come loose during his climb. The man was fit and trim and several inches shorter than Kurt. He was quite attractive actually, but Kurt couldn’t let that faze him. Even if he was attractive, he could still be dangerous, although Kurt really hoped he wasn’t.

In the meantime, Kurt made himself breakfast and some extra for the man when he woke up if he wanted some. He practiced what he was going to say to the man and went over some questions he could ask.

After a few hours, Kurt was tired of waiting so he threw some water in the man’s face, which got no reaction. Then Kurt poked at his chest. “Hello? Sir, wake up.” Nothing.

Kurt got a little bolder and slapped him, not too hard though. Again, nothing. Now Kurt was getting impatient. He slapped him again, harder this time. Still no reaction. Now Kurt was getting a little worried. He hadn’t hit him that hard with the quarterstaff. Kurt got really close to the man’s face, trying to see if he could feel the man’s breath on his cheek. He was still breathing so that was good.

“Sir, I really hope you’re not pretending to still be asleep because next I’m going to throw heated water in your face.” Kurt saw a hint of a smile on the man’s lips. “You are awake!” Kurt shoved him, hard, which made the chair fall over backwards. The man’s eyes flew open and he yelled out as he hit the ground. “Sorry.” Kurt said with an apologetic smile as he tipped the man back upright.

After he was upright again, the man looked suddenly sheepish. “Is there any chance you could untie me? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’m sure that’s what all you thieves say right before you kill unsuspecting travelers.” Kurt said with more bite than he’d intended.

“Kill? I would never.” The man said, clearly offended.

“How am I supposed to believe you? You seem to be on the run from something, and you haven’t denied that you’re a thief.” Kurt said circling him.

“We clearly got off on the wrong foot. I was just looking for a place to stay a few nights. That’s why I climbed up here.” The man said, sincerely. “Hi, I’m Blaine.” He held his hand so Kurt could shake it despite his bound wrists keeping his arm secured to the chair.

“Kurt.” He replied and then took a chance and shook Blaine’s hand. Blaine shook it and then let go. “So, Blaine, you just happened to be walking through the forest with no supplies and decided you may need shelter?”

“Honestly, yes, I am a thief. I only steal little things and I never hurt people, and I never steal from the poor.”

“Go on.” Kurt was listening. He believed Blaine was telling the truth. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the stealing but at least Blaine didn’t seem dangerous now.

“I guess I stole something from the wrong person because they sent people after me much sooner than I would have thought and I was running from them. I lost my horse and my supplies. Then I found this clearing and this tower when I escaped and decided to see if I could hide out here a few days.” Blaine finished explaining.

Blaine seemed pretty harmless. Kurt was pretty sure he could easily take him in a fight. “Okay, I am going to untie you, but if you try anything, I’m proficient in several weapons and could probably take you if I wanted.

“I’d like to see that.” Kurt could hear Blaine mutter quietly. He wasn’t sure how to take it, but he didn’t dwell on it. He made quick work of untying Blaine.

“Would you like something to eat? I made breakfast while you were unconscious.”

“Yeah, thanks for that by the way. My head is killing me. Breakfast would be great, though.” Blaine said slowly getting to his feet as he gingerly felt the bump on his head.

“I’m sorry about your head. I’ll make a tea to ease the pain. Give me a few minutes.” Kurt said, pulling out a chair at the table for Blaine and setting the plate of breakfast food down for him.

After a few minutes the water was ready so Kurt made Blaine some tea for his head and a cup of regular tea for himself. He took a seat at the table and nibbled at some of the bread in the center of the table.

“So Kurt, do you live here alone?” Blaine asked and then took a careful sip of his tea.

“I live with my aunt, but she’s out getting supplies and a birthday present for me. I’m going to be eighteen in a few days.” Kurt said brightly.

“Happy birthday. My eighteenth was a few months ago.” Blaine took another sip of his tea.

“If you’re barely eighteen why are you on the run? Why not live with your parents?” Kurt asked, hoping he wasn’t hitting a sore spot, but also curious to know if they had something in common.

“I’m not really welcome at home. My father is a noble. He’s got a high standing among his circle, and I was a black mark on the family to him. He forced me to leave when I was fifteen. My mother still tries to get him to come around but hasn’t had any luck yet. I meet with her every few months and she gives me money and buys me some food and supplies. It’s not as bad as it sounds, really. I’m happy on my own most of the time. I’ve gotten to experience so much more than I would have as a noble’s son. I have an older brother too, but he’s in the King’s army so he’s away most of the time.” Blaine picked at the food on the plate. Kurt noticed his tea was low.

“Would you like some more tea? How’s your head?” Kurt reached out to put a comforting hand on Blaine’s wrist. Blaine looked up and smiled.

“My head is better. Thank you. I’d love another cup of tea.” Blaine said, covering Kurt’s hand with his other one.

Kurt got up to get them another cup of tea. “If you really need a place to stay, you can stay tonight, but you’ll have to leave tomorrow. My aunt will be back in a few days and she’d be furious to find out I’d let a thief into the tower. She never lets me leave because she’s afraid I’ll be killed by thieves like my parents.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. How long ago did that happen?” Blaine’s asked.

“I was just a baby. It’s fine.” Kurt said, dismissively, before turning back to the water he was heating. “I just wish my aunt would let me leave the tower for once. I want to see the forest and visit the markets in the villages. Most of all, I want to see the lights that appear every year on my birthday. It’s been my dream as long as I can remember.”

“You mean the lanterns for the Lost Prince?” Blaine asked. “Those are lanterns that King and Queen Hummel release every year for their son who went missing when he was a few weeks old. They still have hope that he’ll return someday.” Blaine sat back in his chair as they sat in silence for a moment. “I could take you to see them if you want.” He said as Kurt sat back down at the table with their tea.

“Really? You would do that? Isn’t it far?” Kurt asked, excitedly.

“Only a few days’ journey. You said it’s your dream. A few days is nothing if it’ll make your dream come true.” Blaine said smiling wide before sipping from his tea with the smile still on his lips.

“I can’t ask you to do that. Besides, my aunt would be furious and so worried if she came back and I weren’t here. I couldn’t do that to her.”

“You could leave a note. Assure her that you’ll be really careful and that you’ll come straight home after you’ve seen the lights in the sky. When are you going to get another chance to see them?” Blaine said, trying to convince him.

He was making a good case. Kurt really wanted to say yes. He’d never have a guide through the forest like this again. He wasn’t even sure if his aunt would ever say yes and let him leave the tower. This was a special birthday. He should do something special.

“Okay, yes. Please take me to see the lanterns and make my dream come true.” Kurt exclaimed, getting up and hugging Blaine. “Oh my god, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you. Thank you so much!” Kurt nearly had tears in his eyes he was so happy. “Can we leave today? In a few hours?”

“Of course. We can leave as soon as we’ve packed some supplies and you’re ready.” Blaine said, standing up and straightening up his clothes.

Kurt rushed over to his bedroom area and began going over things to bring along in his head. Then he realized he wasn’t sure what he’d need since he’d never really been in the forest on a journey before. “Blaine, could you help me pack supplies? I’m not sure what to take.

“Pav, why don’t you stay here? I don’t know what kind of conditions we’ll run into and I don’t want you getting hurt. If you really want to go, we’ll figure it out.” Pavarotti flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. He nuzzled his cheek and chirped happily, and then flew back over to perch atop his cage rather than inside it. “Ok, you stay here. I’ll leave the cage open and give you lots of extra food and water. How does that sound?” Pav chirped happily again to agree.

Blaine had been watching him and Pavarotti, waiting for them to finish before he came over to help Kurt. “What you’re wearing should be fine for the whole journey. You won’t need to change at all. Your boots look good for travel. I’m not so sure about the scarf. It’s kind of warm still.” Blaine reached out to begin unwrapping it and stopped when he realized it wasn’t a regular scarf. “Oh, is this your hair?”

Kurt’s excitement dimmed a little. He’d never really had to explain his hair to anyone before. Now wasn’t the time to tell him everything. Lady Sue had warned him about people who would hurt him to get to his valuable, magical hair. “Yeah, it’s a family thing, a tradition or something.” Kurt lied. “I can’t ever cut it so I’ve had to make due. This is the easiest way to wear it and I really like how it looks.”

“It does look great. It looks like a really expensive hand-woven scarf.” Blaine assured him. “It’s why I was going to suggest not wearing it since it’s warm, and it could get damaged in the rain if we run into some on our journey. If it’s just your hair though, that won’t be a problem.”

Kurt smiled. “Thanks.” They needed to get back on task and pack supplies. “So, what do we need to take with us?”

“Aside from what you’re wearing, and anything you may need for your hair, we really only need food, water, and maybe something to help us make fire and shelter.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard. Why don’t you hunt around the pantry and pack some food supplies. There’s a flint stone in a ceramic bowl with a lid near the stove that we can use for fire. I know they aren’t common around here, but my aunt picked it up at one of the artisan markets.” Kurt said, pointing at the bowl next to the stove. “I’ll find us something to make shelter and set out extra food for my bird.”

Kurt gathered up some food for Pavarotti first and poured a large bowl of water to set out on the table. Then he looked through his old fabrics for something sturdy that they could use for shelter. He had a few bolts of canvas buried somewhere. After a few minutes he finally found it stowed at the bottom of the chest at the foot of his bed. Kurt rejoined Blaine and started bundling everything up. He’d grabbed a large knapsack that his aunt sometimes used on her trips to put everything in. It was a tight fit but it would do.

“Okay, I think this is everything. Is there anything else?” Kurt asked Blaine who was already strapping the pack to his back.

Blaine took Kurt by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Kurt, I think we’ve got everything. Are _you_ ready? This is a big deal for you, isn’t it?”

“I’m nervous, but I think I’m ready. No, I definitely am. I’m ready. Let’s go now. Please?” Kurt said, squeezing Blaine’s hands which were still on Kurt’s shoulders.

“First, I have a question. How do we get down?” Blaine asked, removing his hands and walking over towards the window. “I assume there’s an easier way than climbing.”

Kurt laughed. “Usually my aunt either uses my hair but we also have a rope system constructed so that she can repel down the side too. That’s why I had all that extra rope earlier to tie you up. Kurt reached out the window and opened a compartment that they’d built out there. He pulled out the coil of rope and fastened it into place before handing it out to Blaine. “You go first. I still need to write that note to my aunt.”

Blaine took the rope and climbed to the edge of the window. “Wish me luck.” He said, smiling.

As soon as Blaine got out of sight, Kurt sat down to write a quick note to his aunt. He made sure to assure her that he was sorry to disobey but this was just something he needed to do. He’d be back as soon as he’d seen the lights and not to worry too much. He’d be very careful. Kurt signed the note with love and placed it under the same candle that she’d left her note for him that morning.

“Goodbye, Pav. I’ll see you in a few days. Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.” He gave Pavarotti one last stroke on his head, and then gathered the last thing he needed to pack. He trusted Blaine, but he could never be too careful. He grabbed his pack of daggers again and a small satchel to carry them in, along with an extra canteen of water.

Kurt took one last look around his tower and then took hold of the rope. Kurt checked on Blaine, who was waiting at the base of the tower, and took a deep breath before beginning his descent into the world.

***--*--*--*--*--*--***

Once Kurt’s feet were on the ground, he closed his eyes and took a breath before turning around to face Blaine. “What am I doing?” Kurt said to himself. “Lady Sue is going to be furious. She’s going to be so worried. How could I do this to her after everything she’s done for me?” Kurt turned around a little red in the face with anxiety. “Oh my god, I have to go back. I can’t do this.” He was shaking a little and having a little trouble getting air. Kurt’s heart was racing. The gravity of what he was doing was hitting him all at once.

“Whoa. Whoa. Kurt, sit down. Breathe. Everything is fine.” Blaine got closer and helped him sit down. He sat next to him and slowly rubbed his back. “Breathe. You’re just overwhelmed. This is a big step, but think about what you’re really doing. You’re going to see the thing you’ve been dreaming about, right? You’re going to finally see the lights on your birthday.” Blaine grabbed his canteen and raised it to Kurt’s lips. “Drink. You’ll feel better.”

Kurt took a few sips before taking the canteen from Blaine. “Thanks. You’re right. I’m just overwhelmed. I’ve never really disobeyed my aunt, and this is really big.” Blaine was looking at him really intensely. It made Kurt’s heart start to race again but in a good way this time.

After another moment, Kurt broke their eye contact to pick at a piece of grass on his pants. Grass. Kurt was sitting in the grass for the first time in his life. He was already doing things he’d never thought he’d be doing. This was an adventure. He couldn’t spend his life in a tower. He’d already lived there eighteen years. It was time for him to actually live, and what better way than to go after his dreams with the help of a beautiful and kind man. This might get overwhelming but Blaine gave him a sense of calm. He barely knew him, but Kurt couldn’t help but feel safe and happy with him around. He hadn’t felt like this before, not like this, not so fast. His aunt was family, but her anger could be scary sometimes. He sometimes had to tow a walk a fine line with her. Certain subjects were entirely off limits with her. With Blaine, he already felt like he could talk about anything and he’d be happy to listen or tell Kurt anything he wanted to know.

“Are you still not sure about this? We don’t have to go. I can help you back into the tower if you want, and I’ll be on my way,” Blaine asked after a few moments. Kurt hadn’t said anything else for a few minutes while he’d been lost in thought so it might have looked like he was still silently freaking out.

“No, I’m sure. I was just thinking about how happy and safe I feel around you. It’s weird. We’ve only just met, but I know I can do this. I can go on this adventure and see the lights, and I know everything will be fine because you’re here with me.” Kurt looked back up to meet Blaine’s eyes. The look on Blaine’s face made Kurt’s heart skip a beat. Kurt wasn’t sure what it was. Awe? Wonder? It couldn’t be what Kurt hoped it was, which was love.

He’d read the stories growing up. There were so many stories on his shelves about true love and love at first sight. He had always thought it was something great to dream about, but Kurt never thought he’d get to find it on his own. He knew those stories were always about something he wasn’t. They were always about a boy meeting a girl or a girl meeting a boy. In all the storybooks that he’d read, he’d never seen a story where the boy met another boy. Kurt knew he was different. Maybe Blaine was different too. Hopefully, he’d find out soon. He just needed to let this adventure begin.

Kurt slowly climbed to his feet. They had a long journey ahead of them. Kurt would have time to daydream later. He reached out his hand to help Blaine to his feet. “Let’s go. I’m ready.” Blaine smiled and took Kurt’s hand, standing up with ease. “Lead the way.”

Blaine grabbed his canteen and snugly refastened the pack of supplies to his back and then started leading the way into the forest.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

The forest wasn’t as scary as Kurt thought it would be. They’d been walking for a few hours now and only really come in contact with some birds and squirrels and a handful of other animals. Mostly they’d been walking in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Blaine had stopped to look at some clues that the forest was giving him that they were on the right track.

“Tell me about these lanterns. Have you seen them in person before?” Kurt asked, eager to learn more about their destination.

“I saw them a few times because of my brother being in the King’s army. This was before I got kicked out,” Blaine said, clarifying. “The first time I saw them was when I was around five.”

“You said they were lanterns that the King and Queen released for the Lost Prince? What do you mean lost?” The story had Kurt very interested even though it seemed rather sad.

“I was just a baby myself when all of this happened, but my mother told me about it before we went to see the lanterns the first time. King and Queen Hummel had a baby. He was the first royal baby in thirty years, since King Hummel had been born, but he was taken from his room in the palace when he was only a few weeks old, and he hasn’t been seen since.”

“Just like that? The prince was just gone forever? That’s so sad.” Kurt didn’t understand how someone could just take someone’s baby like that. “And they still think he’ll return some day? Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Yeah, it is,” Blaine said before quietly adding, “I wish my father were that dedicated.”

Blaine was looking around and focusing on something somewhere off in the trees. “Do you mind if I...” Kurt started to ask before Blaine pulled him behind a large tree and covered his mouth. He put a finger to his mouth to tell Kurt to be quiet before letting him go.

“Bounty hunters.” Blaine explained with a whisper in Kurt’s ear. Kurt’s eyes went wide. Kurt had forgotten Blaine had been running from someone earlier. What if the bounty hunters found them? Blaine crouched down, tugging at Kurt’s hand to get him to follow. He kept his voice really low when he spoke. “I don’t think they saw us, but let’s stay here a few minutes until they’re out of sight. They look like they’re walking towards the road.” Blaine pointed to their right. “It’s a quarter mile that way, and it’ll lead into the nearest village where they caught up with me the first time.”

“Are they dangerous?” Kurt asked after a few minutes of silence, sure he already knew the answer.

“Very,” Blaine confirmed. “I think we should change direction. I was trying to stay off the path while heading to that village but I know another place we could go where we should be able to stay the night without running into them.” He looked around the tree again to gauge the situation. “I think we’re okay to start moving again.”

Blaine stood up careful not to disturb anything around them. Then he reached out a hand to help Kurt up. Blaine, still with a hold on Kurt’s hand, started leading the way in the opposite direction that the bounty hunters were going. It took a few minutes before Blaine realized he was still holding Kurt’s hand and let go. “Sorry.”

“I didn’t mind,” Kurt said, unable to hide a smile.

Blaine smiled back at him. “Oh.” After a beat, “Do you want to...?” Blaine held out his hand again for Kurt to take. Kurt gladly took it and interlaced their fingers, which made Blaine smile even wider.

Maybe it wasn’t just hopeful thinking that there could be something more between them. Kurt wanted to ask Blaine more about his childhood, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment so he let them just walk in silence for awhile just holding hands. It was nice.

“Does your aunt know?” Blaine asked out of the blue a few minutes later.

“I left a note,” Kurt replied thinking Blaine meant about what they were doing right now.

“No, I mean. This.” Blaine held up their still interlaced fingers and squeezed his hand. “That you...that you aren’t like everyone else?” There was a catch in Blaine’s voice when he added. “That you’re like me.”

Kurt felt like the air had been knocked out of him. This was happening. It was real. Kurt hadn’t imagined any of it. He took a deep breath to steady his voice before he answered. “I think she has an idea but I really don’t know. It’s not like I’ve ever gotten to interact with anyone but her. Everything I know about the world I’ve learned from her and from the books I’ve read.” Kurt looked down at their hands and smiled. “You’re the first person I’ve ever gotten to know outside of her and my tower.”

“You’d really never talked to any else before? Weren’t you lonely?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, sometimes, but I didn’t really know any different so I was used to being alone,” Kurt replied, “and there was always Pav.” Kurt looked up ahead of them through the trees. “Hey, is that the road?” Kurt pointed at the strip of low grass and dirt up ahead.

“You’re right, it is. We got to it faster than I thought we would. Do you want to stop and take a break?” Blaine asked. “We can eat something before we keep going.” Blaine found a soft patch of grass next to a tree and sat down. He took off his pack and started rifling through it to find some of the bread they’d packed and an apple for each of them. He patted the spot next to him. “Come on, sit down.”

Kurt sat down crossed legged and took an apple from Blaine. “Thanks. I’m hadn’t realized how hungry I was until you mentioned it.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Blaine spoke up. “You were going to ask about my father earlier weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but if it’s a sore subject, I don’t want to pry?” Kurt shifted around a bit and started hugging his knees so he could really listen to Blaine.

Blaine nodded his head and took a steadying breath before he began. “When I was thirteen, my parents started to look for potential brides for me. It’s been a long tradition in my family and among our circle of nobles for the parents to arrange marriages. The marriages don’t take place until their children turn sixteen but the process of selection begins when they’re thirteen. At first, they just subtly started mentioning different daughters of other nobles to see who I might like already. The parents do try to at least make matches that everyone can be happy with. It’s why the kids get some say in it too.” Blaine paused in his story.

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand to provide some comfort so that he would hopefully continue. “At least they weren’t trying to make you marry someone you hated. That’s something, right?” Kurt looked at Blaine’s face. He looked sad. “I’m sorry; I’m interrupting. Please go on.”

“As I said, at first it was subtle, but then when I didn’t really respond well to the idea of any of them, they sat me down and asked me why. That’s when everything fell apart. I told them I didn’t want to marry any of those girls that they wanted me to. Then they asked me who I wanted to marry. I didn’t even think about the consequences; I just blurted out the name of one of my brother’s friends who I’d known most of my life.”

“How did they respond?” Kurt was a little afraid at what Blaine might say. He momentarily squeezed Blaine’s hand a little harder.

“Not well. I won’t go into specifics of what they said, but my father got really distant after that, but he got more adamant about the different noble girls I was supposed to marry. He had different ones stay for months at a time in hopes that I’d find my way and get over my deviant behavior.”

“What about your mom? What did she do?” Kurt asked sounding hopeful.

“She was...she was supportive in her own way. Because of my father, she couldn’t do much, but I never felt like I lost her. I still don’t feel that way.” Blaine looked up from his lap to smile at Kurt. “I think you’d like her. She has an eye for clothes too, and she used to throw these lavish parties I think you would have loved.” Blaine let go of Kurt’s hand and brushed off his trousers. “We should get going again unless you want to make this journey in the dark.”

“No, no, you’re right.” Kurt stood up and strapped on their pack of supplies. “I’ll take this for awhile. You just lead the way.”

Following along the road made the journey much easier. There were no overturned trees to climb over or walk around, no trees with giant spikes sticking out of them that were dangerously close, and no low hanging tree limbs for them to almost walk into. It was nice. They’d only been traveling five minutes before Blaine had taken Kurt’s hand to hold again. They stayed like that, fingers intertwined as they walked, until Blaine stopped them one more time before they reached their intended destination for the night.

“Before we get to the inn, I wanted to tell you a little about the place now that we’re almost there.”

“I know I’m sheltered, but I think I can figure out how an inn works,” Kurt teased.

“Well, it’s less of an inn and more of a tavern with a couple of rooms to rent out. The people that are usually there are a bit rough around the edges,” Blaine explained. “They’ll probably say some things you won’t want to hear and behave rather inappropriately.”

Kurt was worried now. Why was Blaine choosing this place if it was full of potentially dangerous people? “Is it safe? Why are we going there if there are so many people like that?”

“Don’t get me wrong. In certain circumstances, many of them cause some trouble, but this place is a sort of sanctuary for outsiders. There are a lot of ruffians, as you call them, thieves, and other people that are wanted for various reasons.” Blaine took his hand again. “Most people won’t cause any trouble, but there are a few who may give us just a little. Just...give them a chance despite your first impressions of them. They’ve got good hearts.”

“Okay, I’ll try not to judge or freak out, but I can’t make any promises. This is all new to me. Little things might overwhelm me and I won’t know until it happens,” Kurt said, trying to trust that Blaine was right. He couldn’t help but be a little anxious at the thought of being around so many people that were wanted by the authorities. Kurt trusted Blaine, though, so he’d try his best to relax.

In no time, they were approaching the stone building just off of the main path that looked to be built partially out of the side of a rocky hill. There were lots of trees around and a few small areas where outdoor campfires had been set numerous times. Some horses were tied up at a small stable off to the side. A wooden sign was hanging out front that read “The Dancing Warbler Tavern and Inn.” Kurt could hear raucous laughter and music coming from inside.

“Shall we?” Blaine offered his arm for Kurt to link with his own. Kurt took it without question. As much he was intimidated by the tavern and its inhabitants, it was now or never, and with Blaine he could do this.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Once inside the tavern, people took notice of them immediately. There were only a dozen people or so but most were rather boisterous so it felt like a lot more. There was a table off to one side with three men and one much smaller woman playing cards, probably gambling. There was a group of people near a piano against one wall that were talking loudly and breaking into bits of some loud folk song here and there. Most of them had instruments of some kind too. Behind the bar, there was a man with large muscles and strange hair. Another woman was sitting alone at a corner table, she was writing something on a piece of parchment and had a half empty pitcher of wine at her table that she seemed to be working her way through.

Blaine tugged at Kurt’s sleeve. “Come on. Let’s get a room.” Blaine studied Kurt’s face for a second. “You okay?” Kurt nodded. “See, I told you it was fine.”

Blaine walked them over to the woman alone at the table. “It’s good to see you, Santana. How’s business?”

The woman, Santana, glared at him. “You still owe me for last time you were here. I haven’t excused you for that Anderson.”

Blaine pulled out a small money purse and set on the table. “This is for last time, and it should cover tonight if you have a room available.”

Santana looked at Kurt finally, measuring him up, before quirking an eyebrow. “It’s about time you got a good buggering, Anderson. I’ll give you a room. I could get you some extra _amenities_ if you need them.” She added with a wink.

Kurt’s mouth was agape. He’d never heard such language. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was even talking about but how she was looking at him, made him a little uncomfortable. Kurt grasped Blaine’s hand. “Can we just go to bed now? I don’t want to be down here with all of these people,” he whispered in Blaine’s ear.

Santana laughed. “Don’t worry about it. We won’t bite; maybe Puckerman will, but he’s just a puppy at heart.”

“My name is Kurt.”

“Okay, Kurt,” Santana said, standing up and gesturing for them to follow her. “I’ll be nice just this once because Anderson’s like a brother to me. Follow me.” She led them through a door into a small room. She quickly lit a lantern and then unlocked a box to deposit the purse Blaine had given her and take out a key. She locked the box up again and then led them to a narrow stairway and upstairs. “There are only five rooms here. One is mine and my girl, Tina’s. It’s here,” she said pointing at the first door opposite the top of the stairs.

“Your girl?” Kurt wasn’t sure she was saying what he thought she was saying.

Santana rolled her eyes. “Anderson, care to explain?”

“They’re like us, Kurt,” Blaine said smiling. “That’s why I know this place is safe. There are others like us downstairs too. Not all of them or even most, but enough.”

Kurt opened his mouth to say something, but Santana cut him off to continue her little tour. “There are two boarding rooms with six beds each on the same side of the hall as my room. Those ones are really cheap and what I rent out the most. Most of the guys downstairs are probably going to use them tonight. You can take one of those if you want but you’ll have to share.” This time Blaine started to say something but Santana continued before he got any words out. “Now Anderson, you know I know you better than that. I won’t make you share.” She stopped at the door at the end of the hall farthest from the stairs and turned around to face them. “This is one of our three private rooms for rent. Sebastian and one of the other boys have the one nearest the stairs. The middle room is empty, for now, but this one will now be yours.” She unlocked the door to reveal a simple but decent room. It had one medium-sized bed, a small dresser, a large basin for bathing and two small oil lamps. “If you want to bathe, the well is below this window,” she said, pointing at the window at the end of the hall. “There’s a pulley system and a bucket so you don’t have to carry water up and down the stairs. If you want a heated bath, you’ll have to go to the bathhouse near the stables. If you’re hungry, supper will be served in an hour.”

 

She handed Blaine the key with a wide grin on her face before pulling him close for a hug and whispering something in his ear that made Blaine blush. When she pulled back away, she had a completely different look on her face than before. It was much softer now and she was looking at Blaine with a great deal of affection. She turned to Kurt and then pulled him into an unexpected hug too. “Take care of him,” she whispered. Blaine was right. These people may seem tough but really they’re good at heart. Before Santana left them alone, Kurt saw her discreetly hand a small corked bottle to Blaine with another wink. “Have fun.”

Blaine closed the door after they were inside the room and helped Kurt remove their pack of supplies. “Look, Kurt, what she said; she was only joking. It’s not like that. I’ll sleep on the floor if you want me too.”

“What? No.” Kurt had forgotten half of what Santana had said; he wasn’t sure what Blaine was talking about but he didn’t want him sleeping on the floor while he got to have a bed. That wasn’t fair. “We can share the bed. It’s no big deal.” Kurt could see Blaine visibly relax at the reassurance.

“Did you want to hang out up here or do you want to try to go downstairs and meet some people?” Blaine looked hopeful.

Kurt was still wary about being around so many people but wasn’t this journey supposed to be about Kurt getting out into the world, about having an adventure? “You’ve spent a lot of time here, haven’t you?”

Blaine smiled and nodded. “It’s been like a second home for me, the only one I’ve really had since getting exiled from my parents’ house.”

“Let’s go downstairs. Introduce me to your people.” Kurt smiled and reached out his hand.

Blaine set down their pack at the foot of the bed. “I’d be glad to.” They exited the room and Blaine locked the door behind them. When they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped them again. “Before we down there, there’s something I need to do while we’re still alone.”

“Okay, what is it?” Kurt asked, right before Blaine leaned in to kiss Kurt’s cheek. Kurt felt his face heat up.

“I hope that was okay. I really like you, Kurt.” Blaine was looking down at his hands and messing with his nails. He looked the suddenly shy, which wasn’t how he’d been behaving all day. He’d always been confident and relatively forthright.

All Kurt could think was that Blaine had kissed him. It was only on the cheek, but Kurt wanted more. He wanted more right now.

“Blaine?”

Kurt wanted Blaine to look at him again. He needed to see his eyes first. Blaine looked up at the mention of his name, and Kurt saw a mix of emotions on his face: worry, hope, awe, but mostly he saw that look in Blaine’s eyes which Kurt was taking to be love. Kurt pressed a gentle hand to Blaine’s chest and leaned in to press a kiss to Blaine’s lips. After allowing a moment for Blaine to pull away if he wanted, Kurt deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Blaine’s shoulders and wove his fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Blaine’s hands tightened around Kurt’s waist and he moaned softly when Kurt gently tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth before breaking the kiss.

“Oh god, Kurt.” Blaine’s eyes were glazed over and his voice a little rougher. “Wow.”

“I’m sorry. I just really needed more than a kiss on the cheek.” Kurt blushed but couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Blaine laughed.

He took Kurt’s hand again and brought it to his lips, laying a kiss on Kurt’s knuckles with a smile before asking, “Escort me to dinner?”

“Lead the way, Anderson.” Kurt replied with a smile.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Kurt woke up snuggled against Blaine’s back and smiled at the memories of the night before. He’d had a wonderful time with the people Blaine had introduced to him. Kurt had been a little nervous still, at first, but once he’d had a cup of wine with dinner, he’d let himself relax. There had been more drinking and card games and singing and sitting on Blaine’s lap while Blaine’s friend’s had told stories about him, which had made Blaine blush and hide his face in Kurt’s shoulder several times.

After they’d retired to their room for the evening, the drink had mostly worn off, but they’d been still buzzing with energy. They’d stripped down and changed into sleeping clothes before climbing into bed. At first they had just talked and laughed again at some of the funnier moments of the night, but soon they had started kissing and they hadn’t stopped kissing and touching for hours. Kurt’s hair had become unwrapped and loose at some point during the night when Blaine had started kissing his neck. It had been late into the night when they’d finally fallen asleep with Kurt wrapped around Blaine.

Kurt felt Blaine start to stir. “Hey there,” he said, smiling as he placed a kiss on Blaine’s shoulder.

“Good morning, Kurt.” Blaine said rolling to his back to look at him. His hair was a mess of curls and he looked so happy as he stared back at him. Kurt leaned down to give him a quick kiss, but Blaine followed his mouth, deepening the kiss, when he started to pull away.

There was a loud rap at their door. “Anderson, get up or pay for another day. It’s past noon,” Santana said through the door. Kurt just laid against Blaine chest for another moment. They really did need to get up soon. Another few moments later, Santana rapped on the door again. “If you want food, you better get it soon. There won’t be more until late.”

“We should get up,” Blaine said with a yawn.

“I know. I know we have a long journey ahead of us today, but I also want to just stay in bed with you.” Kurt said, sitting back on his heels and pulling Blaine to sit up.

“The lanterns are tonight,” Blaine said, reminding Kurt.

“Oh my god, they are!” Kurt couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. The lights had been the biggest thing on his mind for as long as he could remember.

“Happy birthday, Kurt,” Blaine said sweetly before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I hope it’s magical,” he added before pulling him closer and holding him tightly.

Kurt’s heart swelled. How could today not be magical if he was spending it with Blaine? Kurt climbed off the bed to his feet. His dreams were slowly changing. Only a day ago, Kurt thought he’d be spending another birthday alone in his tower with only Lady Sue for company like he had every day of his life. Now his lifelong dream of seeing the lights was about to come true, and he was falling in love with a wonderful man. It was happening so fast but maybe when you know, you know. Kurt looked back over to Blaine in the bed who was just looking at him like he was the most perfect thing in the world.

“What?” Kurt was wondering what Blaine was thinking.

“I love your hair down. You should keep it loose more often. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful,” Blaine said simply before getting to his feet and coming closer. Kurt blushed. His hair had always been something he was unsure about. In all of his books, he’d never seen a boy with hair like his. He’d never seen anyone with hair like his so even though he had only been around his aunt, it made him a little self conscious. Blaine was looking at him with his hair loose and unbraided and calling him beautiful.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Kurt said reaching up to touch one of Blaine’s loose curls. “I like your curls loose too.”

They were just lovingly looking at each other when another loud rap on their door startled them out of their reverie. “I hope you’re dressed because I’m coming in,” Santana said before rushing in and closing the door behind her. “You’ve got to go. Right now.”

“Why? What did we do? If you really want us to pay for staying late, I can give you more money,” Blaine said, confusion clearly on his face.

“No, Anderson, sweetie, I was only teasing before. You’re always welcome here you know that.” Santana’s demeanor had changed. She looked worried.

“Wait, is something wrong?” Kurt asked, as he collected his clothes to change.

“There are people downstairs. Two men. I think they’re bounty hunters. Either way, they’re looking for you, Anderson.” Santana said in a hushed voice.

“I thought we lost them yesterday,” Blaine said, scrambling to find his clothes too.

“There were others here yesterday but they only stopped in for a moment. I’d forgotten about it until now. These guys are bigger and seem to be working for themselves and are only wanting the money they’ll get for bringing you in.” Santana started collecting their discarded clothes as Kurt and Blaine changed, and began packing them into their bag. “They’re eating right now, but I don’t know how long they’ll stay. I was planning to send Puckerman into the King’s village to gather supplies tomorrow but he can just go today. You guys can hide in the back of the cart.”

“Yeah, we can do that. What time is he going to leave?” Blaine asked as he started tying his boots.

“Puck is packing the cart and getting the horse ready now. It should be soon.” Santana handed Blaine a key. “As soon as you have everything together in here, go let yourself into my room and wait for me. I’ll be there in a few minutes. There’s a secret exit in there so you don’t have to go downstairs past everyone else.” Santana took a breath to calm herself. Kurt could see how worked up she was about this. He could see that she cared a lot about Blaine. “I’m going to go downstairs and check on everything. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.” She hugged Blaine and then Kurt and then left them alone.

“Wow, that was intense,” Kurt said after another moment. “She was really worried. Are you sure this is all going to work out?” Kurt was working on brushing through his hair so he could do something to get it out of the way.

“We’ll be fine. We’ll make good time in the cart so we can put distance between us and these guys, and Puck is a good guy; he won’t let anyone get to us if he can help it,” Blaine assured him. He looked around. “Is that everything? Is there anything we haven’t packed yet?”

“Here’s the last of it,” Kurt said handing Blaine his hairbrush. As much as Blaine liked his hair down, Kurt had needed to put it back a little for travel. He had managed to quickly put it in a thick, multi-strand braid down his entire back thanks to years of practice.

“Wow, I like that,” Blaine said when once he’d finished packing everything and looked back at Kurt. The praise made Kurt’s cheeks color a little again. He really wasn’t used to getting so many compliments.

“Thank you. You look great too,” Kurt smiled and took Blaine’s hand before he added, getting serious, “We should go. I want to get on that cart as soon as we can so we can get far away from those guys who are after you.”

Blaine grabbed their bag and locked the door behind them before they quickly slipped into Santana’s room to wait for her.

The room was not what Kurt had expected. It wasn’t simple and unadorned like theirs had been. This one was well-lived in. It had lush fabrics all around the room, on the bed and hanging at the windows and around the bed in curtains. There were several ornate lanterns around the room and a beautiful large claw-foot tub near one window. There were dozens of pillows all around the room too. Some were in groups on the floor but most were on the large four poster, canopy bed.

Kurt was still taking in everything in the room when Santana came in through a hidden door near the tub. “Good, you guys are here. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, we’re ready,” Blaine said, squeezing Kurt’s hand.

“Your room is gorgeous. I never would have expected...” Kurt started before Santana cut him off with a hand up.

“Thank you, but we can talk more later. I fully expect you two to visit me many times, starting very soon, but first, I want to get you safely away from here,” Santana said, matter-of-factly trying to force a smile.

“Santana, we’ll be fine. You’ve done as much as you can. Try not to worry,” Blaine said, letting go of Kurt’s hand to go hug her, “and I promise we’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Kurt could see Santana melt into the hug, visibly relaxing as Blaine whispered something else in her ear that Kurt couldn’t hear. Santana laughed and hugged Blaine a little closer before they separated.

“Okay, let’s get you gone, shall we?” Santana led them down the small hidden stairwell and carefully looked outside before directing them into the back of the cart parked a few feet away from the hidden door. She helped move some packages in front of them so they would be well hidden from the outside. Before they got the last packages in place, she gripped Blaine’s hand. “Take care, Anderson, and remember what I said.” Blaine nodded and smiled. Then she directed her attention to him. “Kurt, it was great meeting you. Take care of him and be sure he treats you right, okay?” Kurt smiled and nodded too, and then Santana moved the last few packages to block them from the outside completely.

A few minutes later, Kurt felt the cart start to move. Soon they would be in the King’s village. It was quiet and dark in the back of the cart. Its gentle movement was lulling Kurt to sleep. He moved closer to Blaine and tucked himself into his side. “I’m still tired from last night. We were up so late so I’m going to take a nap, alright?”

Blaine spoke softly, “Okay, I’ll keep watch for awhile. You just sleep. We have a big night ahead of us.” He kissed Kurt’s temple and held him a little closer. It wasn’t long until Kurt drifted off completely warm in Blaine’s arms.

The lurch of the cart stopping woke Kurt up. He had no idea how long he’d been asleep or what time it was now. He didn’t know if they were in the village or if they were stopping for another reason. Kurt was still curled into Blaine’s side. When he looked up to Blaine’s face he saw that he was sound asleep. He’d fallen asleep at some point during the ride as well.

Kurt shook Blaine awake. “Blaine. Blaine, wake up.”

Blaine started to stir. He mumbled something before he opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Kurt. “Hi.”

Kurt laughed. “Hi to you too. We’ve stopped, Blaine.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. We’re probably almost there.” Blaine yawned before continuing. “I know there’s a bridge just outside of the village that can only have one cart go across at a time. We’re probably just waiting our turn.” Blaine yawned again and stretched his arms. Sure enough, the cart lurched forward not even a minute later. “See.”

Kurt leaned up and kissed him. He started to deepen the kiss but Blaine turned away. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re almost there. We should probably try not to get worked up right now. If I start kissing you, I’m not going to want to stop for awhile, especially when we’re here alone in the dark.”

Kurt laughed. “Good point. I’m not going to want to stop kissing you either.” He sat up and grabbed their bag to dig for something to eat. “How about a snack instead? I’m starving. We haven’t eaten at all yet today.”

After digging a bit, Kurt finally found some apples near the bottom of the bag. He handed one to Blaine and grabbed one for himself. They ate the apples quickly, and Kurt was about to start looking for something else because he was still hungry, when the cart came to a stop again. Kurt could hear Puckerman moving around outside as Kurt presumed he was settling the horses. Then he could hear him approaching the back of the cart.

“I hope it was a smooth ride. I tried to avoid all the big bumps,” Puckerman said as he started moving aside packages. “Welcome to the King’s village. It’s a busy day today. Lots of festivities and hopefully a lot of people who will buy our goods. We’re trying to add some new things at the tavern. Santana wants some nicer furniture and better bedclothes for the rooms. Tina and I want to start brewing our own ale.” As Puckerman got the last of the packages out of their way, Kurt could now see more of their surroundings. The village was bright and clean and Kurt couldn’t wait to start exploring. His aunt had been telling him stories about the different villages she’d visited all his life. The next part of his grand adventure with Blaine was about to begin, and tonight...

Tonight, Kurt would finally see the lights.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

After they thanked Puckerman for all his help, Blaine found them a small market on one side of the village courtyard where they bought some food to eat later while they waited for the lanterns. Then they found a street cart to get something to eat now since they were both still really hungry. The apples they had eaten in the back of the cart had only helped for a little while. One man was selling roasted turkey legs and skewered meats, and Kurt jumped at the chance to try some. Growing up he’d only gotten to eat small game animals most of the time. Getting turkey meat had been a rarity but he had loved it every time he’d gotten to eat some.

Blaine led them around the village courtyard and gave Kurt a tour of his favorite places. He introduced Kurt to some of the vendors he’d become friendly with over the years. There were a lot of them.

“Do you want to see the rest of the village now? There are some interesting artisan shops down some of these side streets if you want to see them.” Blaine asked him after they were close to where they’d started their courtyard tour.

“Yeah, I want to see everything I can today.”

Blaine pulled his wrist to have him follow him. He led them under a large archway over the main entrance of the courtyard. Kurt turned back to look at the front of the archway after they’d passed through it, and froze.

“What is it?” Blaine asked, looking at what had Kurt stopped in his tracks. “Oh, that’s a mural of King Hummel and the queen and the lost prince about a week before he went missing. He was only really a week old at that time, but look how cute.” Blaine looked at Kurt again. “Hey, seriously, what is it?”

“I’m not sure. I feel like I remember this picture from somewhere. Something is really familiar, but that can’t be, I’ve been with my aunt in that tower since I was a baby. I couldn’t have seen this anywhere.”

“Maybe it’s the faces. They are the king and queen after all. You could have seen them in one of your books,” Blaine said, trying to be helpful. Kurt was sure he hadn’t seen their faces in any of his books. His aunt had made sure that he had nothing to do with the royal family in his possession. After his parents had died, she didn’t want a reminder of the kingdom in their home.

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Kurt lied. He wasn’t sure what it was that was familiar, but he’d figure it out eventually. “Is there somewhere we can sit down? I’m kinda tired. Can you show me more of the village later, after the lights? You said there’s a whole celebration, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, there’s a celebration and it goes really late into the night. It’ll be really fun. It is starting to get dark. The lanterns should be released in about an hour. Come on, I have the perfect place to watch them.”

Kurt smiled. “Okay, show me.”

Blaine led them down a few narrow streets until one opened up along the bank of the lake. There was another street that followed along, a couple dozen yards back that was parallel with the water’s edge. It was really pretty. It was getting darker now, and here and there, there were small groups of people setting up on blankets to wait for the lights. Most of them had baskets of food to eat as they waited. A few of them had small oil lamps since the moon was still low and not casting much light. Maybe that’s what Blaine had planned. Maybe they were going to set up and have a moonlit picnic until the lights. After they’d been walking a ways down the street, Blaine took them on one that led closer to the water and then onto a small dock. There were canoes. Kurt wasn’t so sure about a canoe. He’d never been in one before.

“Okay, be careful, but climb in,” Blaine was beaming. He looked so happy. Kurt trusted Blaine so he carefully climbed into the waiting canoe. After Kurt was settled, Blaine handed Kurt their pack of supplies and the food they’d bought earlier, and then carefully climbed in too. “I hope you like this. Ever since I’d decided to help you come see the lanterns, I’d thought that you should see them from the lake. My parents showed them to me in the middle of the lake when I was little too. I remember it being magical, and I want this to be as magical as possible for you since this is your dream. Blaine looked at Kurt again with that look he gave that made Kurt melt. He had to look away for a second. It was a lot to take with the lights so soon.

Blaine started rowing them out into the middle of the lake. There was very little wind tonight so the water was calm. The moon was starting to rise and Kurt could see the light on the edge of the small ripples their boat created as it made its way through the water. After they reached a spot in the middle of the lake, Blaine dropped a small anchor so they wouldn’t move and secured the oars.

“Wow, it’s really beautiful out here.”

“Just wait. It’ll get even better very soon.” Blaine moved closer to Kurt and took his hand. “I’m so glad I climbed into your tower, Kurt.”

“Me too. I cannot believe these last few days.” Kurt leaned forward a little, almost like he was going to share a secret. “These have been the best days of my life.” Blaine beamed at him. “I never knew things could be so exciting and people could be so friendly. My aunt always taught me that all people except for family were dangerous, horrible people. She even warned me about how the people we did business with at the markets would turn on us if they had the chance.”

Kurt broke his eye contact with Blaine and ducked his head. He was almost embarrassed that what he was saying was true. In less than two days, his entire world view had changed -- and he was pretty sure he was in love with Blaine. The connection between them had been this instant, almost familiar, bond. Everything just felt right and easy. He knew he had to return to his aunt’s tower to talk to her at least after leaving like he did, but the idea of staying there, alone with only his aunt and Pavarotti’s company, gave him this sick feeling in his stomach. The though of being without Blaine made him sick to his stomach. He tried hard not to think about it. Leaving the tower had been a big deal, but he’d always intended for it to be a one-time deal. Now he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back. He couldn’t go back to that life, not when he knew that there was so much more out there in the world.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Blaine cupped his jaw and lifted Kurt’s chin. “Your aunt only wanted to protect you. She cared for you. How were you to know a lot of what she said was just paranoia?”

“Yeah, I know. I just wish I hadn’t wasted my entire life up there. I’m missed out on so much.” Kurt gazed into Blaine’s eyes again. There was so much comfort there. So much love and joy. It was hard not to look just to feel a little of what Blaine feeling.

“If you hadn’t been in that tower, we’d never have met. I wouldn’t want to change that for anything.” Blaine leaned in closer and kissed Kurt softly. Kurt closed his eyes and sank into it. As Blaine pulled away, he took a soft breath and murmured, “I love you, Kurt.”

Kurt pulled Blaine back in and kissed him again, deeply. All of Kurt’s passion and love for Blaine was in that kiss. “I love you too,” he breathed out, his eyes still closed and his lips barely an inch from Blaine’s. Blaine took both of Kurt’s hands in his own and they stared into each other’s eyes. There was nothing else in the world but them in this moment.

Blaine broke eye contact to look at their joined hands, rubbing his thumbs over the back of Kurt’s and then looked back up at him. He smiled and laughed. “Kurt, look.”

Kurt lifted his gaze to their surroundings. Suddenly, the lanterns were floating all around them. All of them were glowing brightly, and they were everywhere. Blaine was right. It was magical.

“Wow.” Kurt couldn’t help it as his eyes welled up a little with tears. He was just so overcome with the moment. Blaine was with him and they were in love. The lanterns were everything he’d always hoped to see and more, and he was just incredibly happy.

“Breathtaking,” Blaine said quietly. Kurt nodded absently, eyes still on the lanterns. They really were breathtaking. But when he turned his eyes back on Blaine, Blaine’s gaze wasn’t on the lanterns at all – he was looking squarely at Kurt. Kurt blushed.

They gazed at each other for a long time, until the lanterns slowly began to dissipate around them. As the lanterns dwindled in number and floated away, music and noise started to grow in the village. The celebration had begun.

“Shall we go and join the festivities?” Blaine asked.

Kurt smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s celebrate.” Kurt gave Blaine a quick peck on the lips and sat back as Blaine started messing with the oars.

After they reached the shore and secured the small boat, Blaine hooked elbows with Kurt as they walked the path back towards the village. The glow from the lanterns still on the lake illuminated their way and there was a lot of torchlight that could be seen from the center of the village too.

They passed through the first archway into the village, but Blaine turned them off to go down a quiet side street instead of straight into the celebration.

“I want to show you something,” Blaine said. Kurt started to protest as he looked off in the direction of the celebration, but Blaine quickly explained, “There’s a shop I want you to see. The woman who owns it has been a dear friend of mine since I’ve been on my own. She’s always helped me if I was having a really rough time.”

Blaine stopped them outside the darkened window of a small shop. Kurt looked at the sign overhead. It was a tailoring and dressmaker’s shop. “See?” Blaine pointed to a small sign in the corner of the window that read: ‘Seeking a New Apprentice.’ “I bet you’d be perfect – I’m sure you could even teach her a few things with some of the weaving techniques you have. Apprenticeships don’t pay a lot, but you’d get room and board and a little extra as pocket money. If you don’t go back to your aunt’s, you could have a place here.” The more Blaine talked, the more his voice rose in excitement.

“But where would you be? Can you stay in the village if you have people after you? You wouldn’t be able to go undetected for long,” Kurt worried.

“No, I figure someone would find him practically right away,” a large man rasped as he stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alley, closely followed by another. Kurt looked up at them, horrified as he realized where he’d seen them before. They were the bounty hunters from the forest.

Kurt stumbled backwards tripping over a paving stone in the road as he tried to get away and pulling Blaine down with him. Blaine scrambled to get back up, yanking out his small sword to try to ward them off but they just laughed as they pulled out their own full-sized swords. “What do you want? What did he ever do to you?” Kurt cried out, terrified.

“He’s a thief. He’s stolen countless items from the food markets. He was caught red-handed but got away last time,” one of the men said, leering down at them.

“We were just in the markets today. How come none of the vendors cared then? They were happy to see him even. You’re lying! You just don’t like him.” Kurt felt panicked and confused – all of Blaine’s conversations at the market had seemed normal to him. These men couldn’t have any idea what they were talking about – could they?

Blaine pulled Kurt behind him, protecting him from the dangerous men. “Fine! I admit it! I stole some things, mostly food, but I paid almost all of the vendors back and I’ve made agreements with the others to make up for the rest. It’s all settled. Now leave me alone!” Blaine cried. Kurt felt himself grow white. Blaine was really a thief?

“You think we care about that? There’s a bounty on your head, kid. You may have settled things with the vendors, but it hasn’t reached the right people yet. The bounty still stands and we want to get paid.” One of the men took a few steps closer to them. “And our time is running out to collect.”

The man lunged at Blaine with his sword drawn. Blaine blocked it, but the man was quick. He recovered immediately and lunged again, catching Blaine on his side. Blaine cried out in pain, clutching his ribs as the man withdrew his sword, smeared red with Blaine’s blood.

“Blaine! Oh my god, Blaine!” Kurt rushed to his side and Blaine slumped to the ground weaker from blood loss.

The second man stepped forward, pulling back the one who’d stabbed Blaine. “What the hell? You didn’t need to stab the kid! The bounty is for him turned in alive. If you kill him, we’ll get nothing except taken in for murder!” he yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here.” He pulled the other man by the arm and they took off down the darkened alley.

Kurt dropped to his knees beside Blaine, who was now trembling and pale. Kurt tried to stop the bleeding on his side by applying pressure with his hands, but the wound was too big. Kurt looked around. The street they were in was dark and deserted. No one would see them. Kurt only had one option. He couldn’t lose Blaine.

“Sit up, Blaine. Come on. Please, sit up.” The blood loss was already significant and Blaine was barely conscious.

Kurt carefully wrapped his hair around Blaine’s body, making sure it was tight against his wound. Kurt kissed Blaine’s temple and then held him tightly and started singing quietly. His hair started glowing brightly as he kept singing to heal Blaine’s wound. Blaine started to relax in Kurt’s arms, and the color in his cheeks came back. Kurt’s voice grew stronger as he could see the magic working.

“Kurt?” Blaine slowly opened his eyes, dazed and blinking. “Kurt, what’s going on?” Blaine’s voice sent a thrill through Kurt, and he stopped singing. Blaine was okay.

All of a sudden, there was a shriek. “Guards! Guards!” Kurt could see a commotion down the street near an archway that lead to the celebration. “Sorcery! Someone’s using sorcery!”

Four large palace guards came rushing into the darkened road where he and Blaine were still recovering from their encounter with the bounty hunters. Kurt’s hadn’t realized his hair was still glowing; he’d only been focused on Blaine. The guards reached them quickly and pulled them up off the ground, Kurt’s hair still tangled up around Blaine’s body. They roughly managed to get Blaine out of the mess of Kurt’s hair before grabbing hold of them both and pulling them roughly through the village.

“Where are you taking us?” Kurt cried, terrified again that sorcery was both feared and coveted. He knew it wasn’t something he should be doing in public, but Blaine had been more important than keeping his magical abilities a secret.

One of the guards holding him jerked his shoulder roughly. “Oh, don’t you worry, we have something special in store for you. King and Queen Hummel deal with all sorcery accusations directly.” Kurt stopped breathing. He was being brought in front of the King and Queen as a suspected sorcerer. This was bad.

It didn’t take long for the guards to drag Kurt and Blaine to the palace. Soon they were entering through the large doors and ascending a grand staircase. Kurt couldn’t believe all of this was happening. Barely more than an hour ago, he was on the lake with Blaine and they were confessing their love for each other. Now he was under arrest and about to go before King and Queen Hummel for sorcery. Kurt looked sideways at Blaine next to him and sighed. At least he had Blaine at his side. At least Blaine would be safe.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

The guards led them into a large room. At the far end was a line of ornate chairs and thrones. For now, they stood empty. About ten yards from the thrones, the guards stopped them and forced them to their knees.

“Bow your heads,” one of the guards ordered. A moment later, King and Queen Hummel were announced to be entering the room.

“Raise your heads when you are addressed. Don’t move,” a different guard instructed them before letting them go and stepping back.

A commanding voice began to speak. “Boys. You have been accused of sorcery. What say you on this accusation?”

Kurt looked up, ready to defend himself – but the sight before him made his words die in his throat. The King and Queen looked down upon him, stern expressions on their faces. But somehow, he no longer felt any fear. He didn’t know how, or why, but there was something… familiar about them. Something in their eyes, despite their frowns, said safety. Kurt gawked at them, unable to speak. What did that mean?

Instead, Blaine spoke up immediately. “Your Royal Highness, King Hummel, sir. It’s my fault. Kurt’s done nothing wrong. He’d never left his tower until I talked him into leaving. Don’t punish him – he was only helping me. He’s not dangerous. He was healing me because I was going to die if he didn’t. Please, Your Highness. Please, sir. It’s not his fault. Let Kurt go,” Blaine begged.

When Blaine mentioned Kurt’s healing powers, Kurt could hear Queen Hummel gasp softly. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Maybe she was afraid. The Queen turned and locked eyes with the King, leaning in to whisper something into his ear. Kurt watched as the King’s expression softened, and he turned to look at Kurt with wide eyes.

“Your name is Kurt?” the King asked Kurt, ignoring Blaine entirely.

“Yes, s-s-sir. I mean, Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Kurt stammered. “I’m sorry, but I had to use magic. He was going to die, sir, Your Royal Highness. It was the only way to heal him. My hair is...” Kurt was cut off by another gasp from the Queen. Her eyes were welling with tears and she had her mouth covered by her hand.

“Young man, what does your hair have to do with magic?”

“Since as long as I can remember, my hair has had magical abilities. It glows when I sing and can heal people...” He trailed off as she stood with a hand raises to quiet him.

“Kurt, I can’t believe it,” she cried, as she rushed over to them. She knelt on the floor in front of him, despite her expensive clothes and her Royal standing. She cupped his cheek. “Is it really you?”

Queen Hummel looked into his eyes, and then she looked him over. Kurt knew his clothes and hair were stained with Blaine’s blood, but she didn’t seem to care. Kurt wasn’t sure what to do. What do you do when the Queen kneels in front of you and cups your cheek?

Then it happened. She started humming. Queen Hummel started humming the melody that made his hair glow with magic. How could she know the exact melody? Kurt blinked up at her as his hair glowed around him, and he hummed a few bars with her in unison. Somehow, at that moment, he felt as if he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

“Oh, baby, it is you.” She pulled him into a tight embrace. “My lost little prince is home.”

Kurt could hear Blaine gasp beside him. He tossed Blaine a glance, and then looked back at the Queen, confused.

“What? How can I be the prince? My parents were killed when I was a baby and my aunt took me in. I’m not a prince.” Kurt was so confused. How could he be the prince?

The King stood and approached them now. “Our son was born with the same magical ability that you have. He was kidnapped when he was very young and we’ve never given up on our search for him...for you.” The King locked eyes with him as he grasped Kurt’s shoulders. “Son, welcome home.” The King’s eyes were shiny with tears now too. He pulled Kurt into a tight hug and Kurt buried his face in the chest of his father and sobbed as he felt his mother embrace them both.

Kurt had been lied to and these people were his real family. Everything in his life up until the moment he'd met Blaine in the tower had been a giant lie. Lady Sue was only his kidnapper.

His parents released him from their embrace after a few more moments. Kurt wiped his eyes and smiled at them. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

But everything was making so much sense now. His life had never meant to be closed off in some tower, far away from other people. He wasn’t an orphan taken reluctantly in by his aunt. Kurt had a family, a family who never gave up on him and still loved him. Kurt was a prince.

And, as a prince, there was something he needed to do right away.

Kurt spoke clearly and with as much poise as he could. “Your Royal Highnesses, King and Queen Hummel: before anything else, I need to know you that you won’t punish Blaine. He’s done nothing but treat me with kindness and he’s led me back to you.”

The King laughed. “Why would we punish him? Sorcery isn’t illegal in the kingdom, not really. We’ve only been looking into any instances in order to find you. You’re our son, Kurt. Anyone who returns you to us deserves nothing but our utmost gratitude and respect.”

Kurt smiled. “Thank you.” He reached for Blaine’s hand and pulled him closer to them. “Blaine, I’d like you to meet my mother and father.”

“Mom, Dad, this is Blaine.” Kurt grinned and then kissed the back of the hand Blaine had interlocked with his.

The Queen hugged Blaine first, and then the King embraced all of them at once. After a few more minutes of hugs, Kurt saw King Hummel nod to the guards behind them. “Shall we go rejoin the celebration? It seems we have an announcement to make this evening.”

Kurt clutched tightly to Blaine’s hand and shared a smile with him. He was a prince in love, and he wasn’t going to have to live his life, alone, hidden from the world anymore. Who would have thought that his life could change this much just by meeting one person?

Later, as King Hummel announced the return of their lost Prince, Kurt and Blaine stood side by side with Blaine’s head leaning against Kurt’s shoulder. Cheers erupted from the crowd. And afterwards, as the whole family descended down into the celebrations, Kurt looked from the King and Queen to Blaine and back again. For once in his life, he felt like he had a real, true family. He felt loved, and he felt like he could be himself. He was free. And that, more than anything, was a real reason to celebrate.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*

Epilogue:

News of Prince Hummel’s return swept the kingdom. The townspeople were delighted, amazed that he hadn’t died long ago, and celebrations rang out far and wide in his honor. And in one tower far into the forest, Lady Sue raged. She trashed the tower, packed her things and fled before it was too late. They would be coming after her soon, and her strength and power were already weakened greatly. She intended to flee to the farthest kingdoms from her travels. She would hide away and seek out another way to strengthen and renew her life force far from the Hummel kingdom. Someday she’d have her revenge.

Kurt had never been happier in his life. Living with the King and Queen, his mom and dad, was greater than anything he could have ever imagined. It wasn’t the wealth or the power that made it so special; it was the love. Kurt had never felt so loved in all his life. Now he had a family. They loved him and cared for him, wanted to know everything about him and how his life had been until now. And best of all, they unquestioningly accepted Blaine and loved him too.

Soon after Kurt had returned, King Hummel had spoken to him and Blaine privately. He’d welcomed Blaine and let him know that if there was anything he could do for him, regarding his own family, to let him know. King Hummel had known the Andersons for a long time. Over the years, he had had many disagreements with Blaine’s father, but he had always adored Blaine’s mother and would gladly help Blaine get her back in his life if he wanted.

Kurt had the love of his family, and soon Blaine was going to get part of his family back too. But every day, nothing thrilled him more than the love he shared with Blaine. Kurt had read all of the fairytales growing up, but he had never really understood just how magical being in love truly was. Those stories had all ended with a happily ever after, but none of them had come close to describing what living happily ever after really felt like. Maybe it was because describing it was impossible, and putting it into words would have taken another entire book. But none of that mattered now – what mattered was that Kurt had found it. He had found his happily ever after with Blaine, because of Blaine, and now Kurt knew one other thing for sure.

Fairytales were real, after all.


End file.
